The present disclosure relates to a method of operating a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having two compartments or more than two compartments which each have at least one opening which is closable by a closure element and through which the compartments can be charged with cold air, with at least one temperature sensor being provided for the indirect or direct detection of the respective actual temperature value.
Refrigerator units and/or freezer units are known from the prior art which have a plurality of compartments, with the supply of refrigerated air to the compartments and the air return of heated air from the compartments being controlled by means of air flaps. In this connection, units are known in which an air flap is associated with each compartment with a different temperature. It is furthermore known from the prior art to provide units in which compartments are provided without any lower temperature limitation, for example, freezer parts which are also cooled on the refrigeration demand of another compartment.
It is the underlying object of the present disclosure to further develop a method of the initially named kind such that the setting of the temperatures in the compartments takes place in a particularly energy efficient manner.
This object is solved in accordance with the disclosure by a method for the operation of a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having two compartments or more than two compartments which each have at least one opening which is closable by a closure element and through which the compartments can be charged with cold air, with at least one temperature sensor being provided for the indirect or direct detection of the respective actual temperature value of the compartments.
Provision is made in accordance with this that a temperature value (closing value) is defined for a plurality of the compartments or for all of the compartments, that the compartment with the lowest difference between the actual temperature value and the closing value (temperature difference) is determined, and that the closure element of this compartment is closed until its temperature difference is the same as or larger than the temperature difference of a compartment having a larger temperature difference, in one example the compartment having the next larger temperature difference. It is, for example, feasible that, at a specific temperature value above the closing value, the temperature differences of the compartments with an opened closure element are compared with one another and that the closure element of the compartment is thereupon closed in which the lowest temperature difference is present, that is, the smallest interval between the actual temperature value and the closing value. Due to the fact that the closure element of this already comparatively cold compartment is already closed, the total cold air is now supplied to the remaining compartments with an open closure element, which has the result that these undergo a relatively fast cooling and the comparatively cold compartment does not become too cold. The closure element of the named compartment is closed for so long until it is found that its temperature difference is the same as or larger than that of another compartment. Provision is preferably made that the respective compartment with the originally lowest temperature difference is opened by opening the closure element if its temperature difference is equal to or larger than the actual temperature difference value to the closing value of the compartment having the next larger temperature difference of actual value to closing value. The hysteresis can amount to 0.5 K, for example.
The present disclosure furthermore relates to a method of operating a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having at least one evaporator as well as having two compartments or more than two compartments which each have at least one opening which is closable by a closure element and through which the compartments can be charged with cold air, with at least one temperature sensor being provided in the respective compartments for the indirect or direct detection of the actual value of the temperature, the method comprising. Provision is accordingly made that a temperature range (opening range) is defined for a plurality of compartments or for all of the compartments of the unit, that the evaporator is activated when the temperature in one of the compartments reaches or exceeds the upper value of the opening range and/or when the evaporator activation temperature is reached or exceeded. Provision is furthermore made that the closure element of this compartment as well as the closure elements of the further compartment or compartments are opened when their actual temperature values are within the respective opening range.
Provision is made in this case that the closure element of the compartment is opened when its temperature has reached or already exceeded the upper limit of the opening range. Furthermore, the closure elements of the compartments are opened whose actual temperature value is within the respective opening range.
The term “temperature sensor” is to be given a wide interpretation and includes any conceivable means suitable to draw conclusions on the temperature in the compartment. In one specific example, a respective one or a plurality of temperature sensors are provided in each or in some of the compartments. In another specific example, alternatively or additionally, a temperature sensor is provided which detects the evaporator temperature or a different temperature via which conclusions can be drawn on the temperatures in the compartments.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the disclosure that the determination of the compartment having the lowest temperature difference and the closing of its closure element only takes place when the actual temperature value has reached or fallen below a predetermined interval to the closing value. It is conceivable to determine the differences between the actual temperature values and the respective closing values for all the compartments. If it is found that the interval of the actual temperature value from the closing value has reached or fallen below a specific interval, for example 4 K, for a compartment, provision can be made that the temperature differences, that is, the differences between the respective actual temperature values and the closing values, of the compartments having open closure elements are compared with one another. Then the closure element of the compartment with the lowest temperature difference is closed.
Provision is made in a preferred embodiment of the disclosure that the unit has at least one fan by means of which cold air can be introduced into the compartments through the named closable openings.
The unit can have at least one refrigerated air passage, with the fan being arranged such that it moves the air through the refrigerated air passage into the compartment or compartments. The refrigerated air passage can, for example, be bounded by a vertical partition plate which is located in the rear region of the unit and which can, for example, form the rear wall of the compartment or compartments.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the disclosure that the fan is activated when the evaporator temperature reaches or falls below a limit value. It is, for example, conceivable that the fan is activated when the evaporator temperature is below the temperature of the compartment whose temperature has reached or exceeded the upper value of the opening range by a predetermined value, for example 1 K.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the disclosure that the closure elements of the compartments are opened when their actual temperature value reaches or exceeds the lower region of the opening range. If compartments are accordingly present whose actual temperature values are below the lower limit of the opening range, their closure elements first remain closed. Provided the actual temperature values reach the lower region of the opening range, the associated closure elements are opened so that the compartments are charged with cold air.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the disclosure that the evaporator is deactivated when the actual temperature values of all the compartments have reached their respective closing values.
If this is the case, provision can additionally be made that the speed of the fan is reduced with respect to the actual refrigeration operation.
Provision can furthermore be made that the closure elements of the compartments whose closure elements are opened at times or permanently during the cooling procedure are now opened when the actual temperature values of all the compartments have reached their respective closing values. In this case, cold air is introduced into the compartments at a reduced speed of the fan. In this manner the residual cold can be utilized and the standing time shortened. Provision can furthermore be made that the fan is finally deactivated when the evaporator temperature reaches or exceeds a limit value.
Provision can finally be made that the respective closure element is closed as soon as the respective actual temperature value or a value characteristic for the temperature reaches a desired value or exceeds it by a preset amount.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the disclosure that a desired temperature value is presettable for at least one of the compartments and that the opening range and/or the closing value of the other compartments depend on the desired temperature value. If, for example, with an unchanged desired value setting of the compartment arranged at the top, the desired value setting of a compartment arranged thereunder is changed in the direction of “cold”, the opening range and the closing value of the closure element of the upper compartment are corrected in the direction “warm” in order to compensate the increased cooling by the return air flow from the lower compartment.
The present disclosure furthermore relates to a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having, comprising two or more compartments which each have at least one opening which is closable by a closure element and through which the compartments can be charged with cold air; at least one temperature sensor positioned in each of the two or more compartments, the temperature sensor providing indirect or direct detection of an actual temperature value of the respective compartments; and a control and/or regulation unit which is configured to determine a temperature value for each of the two or more compartments, determine a compartment with the lowest temperature difference between an actual temperature value and the determined temperature value; and close the closure element of this determined compartment until its temperature difference is the same as or larger than a temperature difference of another compartment having a larger temperature difference.
Further details and advantages of the disclosure will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing.